conferences about the manhunt that's currently under way in boston. >> breaking news. a massive explosion at a fertilizer plant in texas. >> oh, my -- >> could be felt up to 50 miles away. >> officials may be closing in on a pair of suspects in monday's deadly attack. >> we will find you. >> authorities have the face but not the identity. >> we may be momentarily knocked off our feet, but we'll pick ourselves up. we will finish the race. >> disappointment and anger over the defeat of every single gun bill. >> if action by congress could have saved one person, one child, a few hundred, a few thousand, this legislation met that test. too many senators failed theirs. >> we're here on six-year terms to take votes on difficult issues. show some guts. >> i've heard some say blocking this step would be a victory. for who? >> you tell how your loved one died. there's no compassion in their eyes. >> it came down to politics.

it came to the pressure. this was a pretty shameful day for washington. it's a very busy afternoon. we're following a number of developing stories. in texas, a massive blast at a fertilizer plant south of dallas has left at least five people dead and scores injured. we're expecting a press conference with new details to begin at any moment. in washington, a visibly angered president obama vowed on wednesday this is just round one after the defeat of a bill to expand background checks on gun sales. we'll have more and what's next on the fight for new gun safety measures coming up. but we begin in boston, where we're awaiting an fbi briefing in the next hour where it's expected they'll show photos of two men they're urgently seeking in the marathon bombing investigation. now, combing through video evidence, authorities are honing in on two men seen in video and still pictures including at least one who seems to have set down a black bag and dashed away

just before the explosions. all this comes as the president and first lady traveled to boston to participate in an interfaith service earlier today. in a powerful speech meant to both console and offer a rallying cry, the president vowed this terrible act will be answered. >> if they sought to intimidate us to terrorize us, to shake us from those values that deval described, the values that make us who we are as americans, well, it should be pretty clear by now that they picked the wrong city to do it. [ applause ] not here in boston. >> we expect to learn more on the investigation at that news conference that's coming up within the hour. now for much more on this, we have nbc justice correspondent pete williams from washington and nbc's kristen welker at the

white house. pete, i'm going to start with you. what are we expecting to hear at this fbi briefing within the next hour? >> we're going to hear, i believe, why they're interested in these two particular people. what it is they've done. what they can be seen doing that attracts their attention and raises their interest and why they want to find and talk to them. they know what they look like. they know what they were doing. the fbi has always thought that the bombs were carried to the scene in black nylon duffel bags or backpacks. they an see on these pictures the men, these two men carrying heavy backpack and duffel bag. they believe the bombs were relatively heavy, probably around 20 pounds. they were in the vicinity of where the bombs were found. so, where they were set off. so they want to find them. they don't know who they are, and they're going to ask for public assistance, we believe, in identifying the men. and you may remember that they asked for both photos and video. so it's certainly possible that we'll see both. we'll see both still pictures

and video is certainly a possibility. and then a request for public help to phone in tips if people know who these folks are. >> you know, pete, we've heard the authorities actually had these photos for about a day. we know the fbi delayed their press conference yesterday, postponed it yesterday to today. has there been a delay in releasing photos? what do you attribute that to? >> well, delay, i guess i don't know. i mean, they've certainly held off doing it. i think that's a safe way to put it. and it's always a debate that goes back and forth. agents in the field would like a little more time to work on their own to find these people because once you make it public, i mean, that's a two-edge sword. yes, you get a million eyes and ears to help you find these people. on the other hand, you'll generate a lot of good meaning but false tips that have to be gone through as well. at the end of the day they weighed the equities and decided now is the time to put this material out. >> pete, also there are now developments and a report based on -- there are mounds of forensic evidence that have also been collected by the

investigators they continue to analyze. any new leads coming out of that? >> well, i mean, certainly leads, yes. things to be checked out in the most classic sense of the word "lead." they know what these parts were. so they're now going out to say, all right, who sells this certain kind of battery, and visiting, for example, hobby stores. there's a brief that, perhaps, the bomb was set off by some kind of remote-control device. what sort of stores sell those devices? agents are going around to those stores and beginning to canvas them. that's routine work when there's a bombing investigation and you begin to know what the parts are, you figure out where they were available. >> nbc's pete williams, thank you. >> you bet. >> let's bring in nbc's kristen welker at the white house. it's obviously been a very emotional week for the president. his speech today felt very personal, didn't it? >> reporter: it did. it was also less somber than we have heard him after these types of tragedies in the past, after newtown, for example. or the shooting at tucson,

arizona. today's speech felt more like a rallying cry, as you pointed out at the top. the president vowing to find the person or persons responsible for the bombing in boston. and also vowing to finish the race. and we can tell you, karen, that prior to delivering those remarks, he met with the family of krystle campbell, of course, one of the victims. one of the people who was killed in the bombing on monday. and then afterwards he met with some of the people who are still recovering in the hospital. also met with first responders. and the first lady, we are told, met with children who are recovering at brigham and women's hospital. this was a day fraught with emotion but also fraught with defiance as the president and first lady went there to boston in a role that is really becoming all too familiar, sort of responding to these communities in a state of mourning and healing. karen? >> you know, kristen, that was the second emotional speech the president has given in less than

18 hours. do you think he carried the emotion we heard yesterday in the rose garden in that speech on guns with him to boston today? >> reporter: well, i think it's certainly possible. he did as you did point out deliver a speech yesterday that was emotional after the manchin/toomey was voted down or voted against in the senate. he had stern words for members of both parties who voted against that compromise amendment. so he certainly was incredibly fraught with feeling yesterday when he delivered those remarks. of course, surrounded by some of the families from the newtown shooting and former representative gabrielle giffords. but, of course, today is a different day and he was speaking at a different event, so it's hard to know exactly what he was feeling. but you could see when he was sitting in the pews that he was very touched by what was happening, as was the first lady. difficult for all of the people who were there today. >> nbc's kristen welker. thank you.

all right. i want to bring in james cavanaugh, nbc news law enforcement analyst and former atf special agent in charge. and with us -- he's with us from nashville. here with me in the studio, robert mcfadden is a former senior ncis official and senior vice president at the suffan group. james, i have to ask you, we've seen so much wild speculation recently. we've seen photos on the cover of the "new york post" that we're not going to show because they turned out to be wrong. how much of that actually ends up harming an investigation by creating sort of false starts? >> well, it is complicated to an investigation, and the commanders, you know, have to wrestle with that in a big media case like this. the even steady reporting is good because it kind of keeps it on the level, just like you saw pete do, it's very pragmatic. so it's difficult to deal with it when you're running a big case like this. for example, the d.c. sniper. we had a lot of issues like that as well. you know, the frenzy to get the

story first out. you know, it's not really a necessary -- it's better to get it accurate. this case is moving really at a good pace. it is amazing, you know, you have ncis agent there, you know, these guys are tops a doing it, too. it's amazing how fast agents can put these things together. but that's why we live, we live to do this. so they put it together fast. you see it moving within a few days. and if they release those photographs and video in a couple hours, which i believe the commanders will, before the sun rises in boston tomorrow, they'll know who those guys are in those pictures. now, whether or not they turn out to be the perpetrators of the bomb, the bomb makers, the bomb delivererers, whoever, accomplices, but they will know who they are before the sun rises in the morning. if it's put out on the media and the digital media. the names will surface. you'll get a lot of false names like pete said. my my uncle freddy, my

ex-boyfriend. they'll have to sort through that. that's normal. with this number of investigators, you can deal with all those minutia. >> clearly it's a massive effort. robert, we've seen on television shows and movies about facial recognition software and various advances. how realistic is that to the process that they're now undergoing in trying to find these potential suspects and whittle down the information? >> piggyback what jim said, the tremendous amount of information. it's really hard to conceptualize how much is going on, how many streams of information are coming in. big part of it right now, of course, lining up witnesses with all the data that's available. digital and analog. and identifying people, timeline, sequences. who was here, egress routes? as far as facial recognition system, i've been out of the government now for about 18 months, and before that, there were huge leaps in technology

and biometrics and facial recognition system. i can imagine now the state-of-the art is that much further along. i'm sure it will be a big part in helping identify. >> when we talk about this mounds and mounds of evidence, it's really two different crime scenes essentially. we had two bomb sites. are they treating each of these independently or look for commonalities between the two? >> absolutely on the commonalities. think of it in terms of one major crime scene, death scene here, with some of the best technicians in all of law enforcement anywhere. going over the scene meticulously. typically starting in the peripheral and then working in in concentric circles. i'm sure technicians are still there at this point. >> all right. you know, i want to talk a little bit about how these guys are putting this case together because obviously as they're gathering the forensic evidence, at some point there has to be, you know, we're talking about potentially there may with suspects identified or certainly persons they're interested in speaking to. at some point, clearly they're

also thinking this is going to end up in a case that needs to get put together. so how are they making decisions about, you know, the different pieces of data and information and evidence? robert, i'll start with you. robert, i'll start with you on that one. sorry. sorry. >> les start at the top. okay? and with the scene setter, due to some tragic events in our country, and we always learn from it, we have the joint terrorism task force concept. and then other law enforcement organizations and bodies like that that going back to the 1980s through the present. and one of the big things about that is case management and case organization is down to a science. so you have the major components with the leadership, the forensic part of it, the investigative team, then the intelligence or the information fusion part of analyzing the data that drives the leads, help drive the leads. so at this point, rest assured

it's going 100 miles an hour. i know from working major cases in pathe past, you can be guaranteed there are a number of agents and police officer being forced to sleep because they've had little since monday. >> i bet. no question. james cavanaugh, robert mcfadden, thank you very much. next, is president obama making the fight for gun safety too personal? stay with us. >> i've heard folks say that having the families of victims lob he for this legislation was somehow misplaced. a prop, somebody called them. emotional blackmail somehow. are they serious? [ male announcer ] this is joe woods' first day of work. and his new boss told him two things -- cook what you love, and save your money. joe doesn't know it yet, but he'll work his way up

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are you okay? >> dad? >> you okay? >> now, here's what we know at this moment about that explosion at a fertilizer plant in texas. authorities in the town of west, texas, estimate that 5 to 15 people were killed by the blast that occurred just before 8:00 on wednesday night. more than 160 people have received medical treatment for injuries at several local hospitals and dozens of building surrounding the plant including an apartment complex, a nursing home and a middle school were devastated. here's what residents had to say about the eruption that shook their town with the force of a small earthquake. >> it rattled everything in the house. it took my breath away. >> the school's gone. the apartments are gone. it's horrible. >> massive, just like iraq, just like the murrah building in oklahoma city. >> we're joined now by nbc's charles hadlock.

charles, reportedly about half of this town, just under 3,000 people, had to be evacuated after the blast. what's the latest on those people? >> reporter: well, they are still evacuated in the northern part of this town because they are still going block-by-block, house-by-house, lot-by-lot to see if there are anymore survivors. so far 160 people have been taken to area hospitals. many of them still remain in the hospital. five of them underwent surgery overnight. the death toll is somewhere between 5 and 15. they haven't narrowed that down yet. that was the number we were given before 6:00 a.m. today. they haven't updated that number. perhaps that's good news if the death toll can remain low. they're going to have another briefing here in just a new minutes so we might get an update on those numbers. of those numbers, 5 to 15, 3 to 4 of them are believed to be firefighters who are missing and presumed dead.

they were the first responders to fight the fire last night just before the explosion. >> charles, i know we're waiting for that briefing as you mentioned. earlier today, texas governor rick perry declared a disaster in the area surrounding the plant. let's take a listen to him. >> anyone who grew up, like your dad did, doc, in a small town like west, they know that this tragedy has most likely hit every family. it's touched practically everyone in that town. >> charles, what, is there any hope that they're going to find additional survivors? you mentioned they're going door to door. what are they hoping to find? >> reporter: well, they certainly hope to find more survivors, but they really don't know. they haven't told us anything yet. that's been a frustrating point here. we are all awaiting this news conference that's coming up from attorney general greg abot, and

also members of the texas department of public safety. they've literally got us in a cattle barn here. it's about the only structure big enough here in this small town to hold all the media and keep them away from the danger zone and away from the search area and out of the inclement weather we've had today. but we are hoping to get a little bit more information within the hour. karen? >> you know, charles, to that point, there were 54,000 pounds of toxic ammonia compound at the plant. and it's a chemical that actually may have made this explosion more powerful. are there any concerns that that material is now a threat to public health? >> reporter: well, that's one thing they're going to look at. so far the company had a few complaints about it, but nothing major according to the state records. so they're going to be looking at, you know, was it a smart idea to have a plant that made this kind of product so close to schools and hospitals and nursing homes and apartment complexes? that will be one thing they're looking at. so far they haven't violated any texas laws that we know of.

now, attorney general greg abbott will be speaking here. that's an unusual move. so perhaps he may be planning some civil action. we just don't know. that could be one possibility that comes out of this meeting here today. >> you know, on that point the "wall street journal" was complaining residents complained in the past of a very bad ammonia smell coming from the plant and this was in june 2006. complaint to the texas commission on environmental quality. have the folks in the town told you anything about their relationship with the plant or any of their concerns? >> reporter: we've heard a few complaints of neighbors who live closest to the plant complaining about things like that. in fact, one person we heard from last night said that they, when they saw the fire, they knew to get away from it. and they were trying to get their family in the car when the place blew up. so people are aware of it, but for the most part, folks around here are used to it. this is in a very rural agricultural area. they certainly need fertilizer for the crops here.

so they had a fertilizer plant right here in town. so it's not unusual to see something like this in a rural setting, but certainly it was a catastrophic event. something went terribly wrong last night with the fire that started the chain reaction that led to the massive explosion that practically leveled half of this town. >> all right. thanks so charles hadlock, who is awaiting the start of that press conference. stay with us. we have much more coming up. >> this time next year on the third monday in april, the world will return to this great american city to run harder than ever and to cheer even louder for the 118th boston marathon. bet on it. ♪

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what else can you call it but just a shameful day in washington? here are today's top lines. >> we return home with a determination that change will happen. maybe not today, but it will happen. >> this was a pretty shameful day for washington. >> show some guts. >> what a terrible day for our country. >> the ayes are 54. the nays are 46. >> minority in the united states senate decided that it wasn't worth it. >> the amendment is not agreed to. >> even while these families looked on from the senate gallery. >> shame on you! >> the order in the senate -- >> i'm going to speak plainly and honestly about what's happened here. >> there's nothing like looking in the eyes of a still grieving parent. >> the gun lobby and its allies willfully lied about the bill. >> we're trying to take it to the violent criminal. >> they were worried the gun lobby would spend a lot of money and paint them as anti-second amendment. >> criminals will not submit to background checks now.

they will not submit to expanded background checks. >> they caved to the pressure and looked for any excuse to vote no. >> the way to stop violent crime is stop violent criminals. >> i heard some say blocking this step would be a victory. a victory for who? >> stop pandering to get an a-plus rating for the nra. >> i've heard folks sat they having the families of victims lobby for this legislation was somehow misplaced, a problem somebody called them. >> in some cases the president has used them as props. >> are they serious? >> let's get right to our panel. joining me now, edward flynn, chief of the milwaukee police department. and lori hoss whose daughter was shot and injured at the 2007 virginia tech shooting. >> good afternoon. >> i want to start with you. you heard senator rand paul you are being used as a problem. i want to ask you, are you a prop? >> absolutely not. i find that just, you know, vulgar for him to apply that

because gun violence has touched my family, my daughter, emily, was shot twice in the back of the head six years ago tuesday. that i am somehow being used by anyone, i'm not a prop. i am talking about this because it happened to my family and because i saw a lot of pain and i continue to see a lot of pain. the pain of gun violence that visited the 32 students and staff that were killed at virginia tech. and i've worked with gun violence victims since then. i've met folks from aurora and tucson and oak creek and newtown. and day-to-day victims of gun violence and their families. we're not props. we're speaking because we know what gun violence does to families, to communities, and to this country. and we want it to stop. >> you know, lori, also noticed in a bit of just irony, when you were escorted out of the senate chamber yesterday after you shouted "shame on you" after the vote took place, they actually

performed a background check on you. is that correct? >> well, i suspect that's what it was. they had several questions. more than several questions. took my driver's license and spent a long time. they kept telling me, we're checking it out, we're checking it out. you know, i'm sure they were doing a background check on me. wanted to know who i was, why i was there and what my intentions were. you know, clearly there is a great deal of irony in that. you know, i'm speaking my mind. i'm in the senate. i'm observing the democratic process and i get a background check. you know, somebody who's at a gun show or on the internet or in a street corner can buy a firearm from anyone. willy-nil willy-nilly. no background check asked and performed. it's, you know, it's just unacceptable in this country when we have the technology to do it. virginia state police perform a background check, average background check is under three minutes. i sat with the capitol police for about an hour and 45 minutes. >> yeah. i think it bear mentioning that

the vote that you witnessed was for a watered down background check bill. just to be clear. chief flynn, texas senator ted cruz decided to call you out during a news conference yesterday on an alternative -- well, sort of watered down gun amendment as well as on the senate floor. he didn't do it by name, but it was pretty clear who he was referring to. so i want to play that clip for you. >> in one hearing, a police chief yelled at a senator on the judiciary committee and said, he didn't have time to prosecute paperwork crimes. well, in my opinion, if a convicted felon or fugitive ae tempts to illegally purchase a gun, it's not a paperwork crime. >> now, that refers to an exchange that you actually had with senator lindsey graham back in february during a gun violence hearing. and i'm just wondering what your response is to senator cruz. >> well, i wouldn't expect a guy who went to princeton and

harvard and worked for the u.s. attorney without ever prosecuting a criminal case to have a clue about what's going on in the streets of america's cities. what i can tell him, every american police chief organization, all of them, police executive research forum, the major city chiefs, and the international association of chiefs of police all advocated for background checks that would close the current loopholes and prevent the criminals from buying guns unlawfully. that's our challenge right now. the vast majority of the guns that police officers seize from the city streets aren't stolen. >> right. >> they were bought by the criminals through private sales, not through licensed gun dealers. so i don't now why it's so important for that senator to engage in nra talking points instead of analyzing the real problem which is the vast majority of america's violence is caused by individuals who procured guns unlawfully without a background check. >> well, if i'm not mistaken, in 2007 in the virginia tech

shooting, the perpetrator had illegally obtained weapons. so you -- this argument that they like to make that says these things would not have changed what happened, completely ignores the broader history. >> well, the purpose of a background check, as everyone know, including senator cruz, he's smart enough to know this. the purchase of a background check is to prevent someone from securing a firearm who's not entitled to one by law. you know, if you follow the logic which really doesn't exist, of his rgmeargument, it' like saying the irs should arrest and prosecute every single american who doesn't accurately and report their income for income tax purposes. that the purpose of an irs tax forum is to generate prosecut n prosecutions for false filing rather than income for the united states government. the purpose of the background check is to prevent those who should not procure firearms from getting them. that's the success. now, fugitives that are caught through background checks are

prosecuted, but that's a tiny percentage of the overall number of rejection for other reasons. so as i say, he's smart enough to know the difference between an nra talking point and a legal argument. he's just chosen to remain firmly in the pocket of the nra. because that's his political calllation. >> right. now, lori, carly soto, the sister of victoria soto, who actually died at newtown, spoke with our nbc's chuck todd this morning. when she was speaking to lawmakers, she felt like she got this blank stare and there was no compassion in their eyes. i'm curious what kind of reception you've received with the members you've been able to meet with and the staff. >> you know, it's sad. i have to say that it is very, very, you know, frustrating and it makes me angry. i don't think they genuinely are interested. i don't think they're genuinely interested at listening. i don't think they are hearing what we have to say when we talk

about the pain that gun violence causes to families. when we talk about we want to stop criminal criminals. you know my husband is a firearm owner. he's a law-abiding citizen. we're not going after law-abiding citizens. as the chief suggested, background checks is to target persons who are prohibited from purchasing and owning firearms. that's who we're going after. and to, you know, have these people talk to us and look us in the eye and say, well, what about the 2%? well, what about, you know, how long it takes to have a background check? what about how inconvenient it is to have a background check? i find that hog wash. americans have spoken up. they want a background check on all gun buyers. we're going to make it happen. you know, these senators are out of touch and they're not listening and i think some of their staff have treated the family members, you know, uncaring and it's unacceptable. >> chief flynn, just speaking to that point, and to the nra talking points, the nra is actually running a new ad that says, most police don't want

background checks and that they don't think they work. which is obviously based on a completely unscientific sir vain and it's a completely false set of facts which we've seen time and again from the nra. but i'm wondering if you'd seen that ad and if you had any reaction to it. >> yeah, i've seen the ad. i've seen the analysis of it. it's what's called an opt-in poll. you had to choose to go on the website and basically it's a poll of people who already agree with you. by the way, i don't think they check i.d.s on the poll. the second thing is the following. as i said moments ago, there are 17,000 members of the international association of chiefs of police. the police chiefs of that organization support background checks. the major city chiefs association has 63 members from the 6 3 biggest city in the united states. it wants to see universal background checks. the police executive research forum has over 350 members representing agencies over a 50,000 population. those chiefs want to see

background checks. you know, the truth is law enforcement knows the damage that unlawfully purchased firearms are doing on the streets of the city and in the suburbs where the mass killings occur. no one is standing up for the victims right now on the other side. and it's just unconscionable that they should attempt to make sport of the victims that came to testify from the heart about the impact these laws, the lack of laws, have had on their lives. i was at the judiciary committee hearing. senator cruz and others managed to walk out of the room before anybody from newtown had a answer to share their pain with them. that's the degree of compassion they have. this is not about the second amendment. this is about commerce, big money, fear and political calllatiocal calculation. the only profile in courage award will go to manchin, mccain, senator collins, people who had the guts to vote for the public interest. the president was right

yesterday. it was a shameful moment. we're going to remember. we in the police chiefs profession are going to continue to advocate for policies that will protect american citizens from violence perpetrated by criminals and the criminally insane. >> i want to thank you both. lori, i want to thank you for your courage for going up there and doing everything that you're doing, you know, this is day one. we'll keep at it. thank you, both, so much. >> thank you. >> thank you. a reminder, we're expecting a news conference within the hour in boston on the latest on the bomb investigation. we'll be right back. >> if they sought to intimidate us, to terrorize us, to shake us from those values that deval described, the values that make us who we are as americans, well, it should be pretty clear by now that they picked the wrong city to do it. [ applause ] not here in boston.

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we're looking at a live picture from boston where the fbi is expected to hold a news conference at the top of the hour. meantime, president obama's moving and uplifting speech at the boston marathon memorial service earlier today was just his second bit of brilliant oratory in as many days. wednesday, he lashed out at the senators who not only blocked a bipartisan attempt at background checks, but any hope for new gun control safety measures. now, the president also made it abundantly clear to supporters what their next steps will be. >> you need to let your representatives in congress know that you are disappointed and if they don't act this time, you will remember come election

time. and i see this as just round one. >> joining us now, joy reid, managing editor for the grio.com. joy, thanks for joining any. >> thank withdryou. >> harry reid pulled the bill from consideration. news accounts are casting this as a loss for president obama, making it personal. i don't think the president was about making this personal. >> yeah, i mean, you can see from his reaction, right, when he did that news conference, after the bill went down, that he's angry. he is personally angry about this. you can also see that it's because the newtown shooting, the massacre at sandy hook, affected him in a way that was so deeply personal as a dad. you can see he's reacting just as a father. he is livid. if you leave the reports, he's particularly angry about those democrats who jumped ship on him, the four democrats who vote against the bill. personalizing it and claiming this is a loss for obama is a way of reframing this debate as your typical barack obama puts himself above the interests of

whatever. it's all about me. it's me, me, me. that's not what this is about but the people of sandy hook and want gun legislation. >> one of the triggers that worked so well on the far right was to say, you know, this is obama's legislation and to really try to use him. in fact, he stayed away from the legislation and really tried to focus on the outside game rather than being involved in the legislation, itself. >> yeah. and that's absolutely right. if you want to talk about personalizing the issue, those newtown families, those moms who came up, the sisters and mothers and children and friends and families of those victims. gabby giffords, herself, a gun violence victim. the people who were directly impacted by the bills, who were to asuede, they took this personally. they lobbied the hill and were told, too bad, no. >> let's talk about the politics on this. one of the things that strikes me, here we have this horrible tragedy on monday and we all ask

ourselves, what withcan we do t change it? we have this horrible tragedy in newtown. we say, what can we do? when push comes to shove, we get a watered down bill that can't be passed. why? because of 2014 and 2016. and people saying, i just can't take -- that's too hard for me. right? >> oar another way to interpret it is because of supine obedience to the nra. the default position of most members of congress other than those who are courageous enough to step up even if they're not up in 2014. this is not the way the game is played anymore. the nra is not the only thing in town. pryor and begich will have to remember there are oath sources of money used for or against you. they can't go back to donor, individual big money democratic donors and small money donors and say, support me, because they didn't support what 90% of the america peopn people wanted.

>> that will be the test to see whether or not that other counterweight actually does raise money against or not for. all right. i want to play for you something that texas senator john cornyn, this was his reaction to the president's speech and he called the president's action shameful. let's take a listen. >> the president could have taken the high road, could have said, okay, now that we've been unsuccessful in those measures, let's move on to the area where we know there's consensus. but instead, he chose to take the low road. and i agree with him. it was a truly shameful day. >> now, i'm sorry, 90% of americans, i just had police chief from milwaukee talking about the vast majority of law enforcement. we all agree. how is that shameful? how is that not consensus? >> it's always about -- the manchin/toomey bill, solicitous of gun enthusiasts, it was called the public safety and

second amendments right bill, protection bill of 2013. right? that's the bill that got voted town. that's the amendment that got voted down to the original bill. these guys have been on the record against background checks. they can't take it back by trying to throw it back at barack obama. >> i hope victims of gun violence from texas, i hope senator cruz and cornyn hear from them loud and clear. thank you, joy reid. coming up, the fbi scheduled a 5:00 p.m. news conference from boston. we'll take you there next. first, jackie de angelis has the cnbc market wrap. >> stocks extending their losses for a second day. weak economic data, mixed earnings responsible for the losses. the dow down 81. s&p down 10 points. the nasdaq composite shedding 38 points. that's it from cnbc, first in business worldwide. [ indistinct shouting ] ♪ [ indistinct shouting ] [ male announcer ] time and sales data.

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we're just minutes away from an fbi briefing on the boston marathon bombing. now, this is a live look into

the briefing room at the sher tan hotel in boston. nbc news confirmed authorities will release videotape evidence at the briefing. at this point we believe authorities may be hunting two men captured on film at the bombing scene. it's anticipated those are the images we're about to see. back with us, robert mcfadden, former senior ncis official, now senior vice president at the suffan group. robert, as we're awaiting these photos, what goes into the decision to release those now? >> yeah, and that would probably explain in largest part why things started to trickle out about these photos and the video. it's a huge management leadership decision because suppositi suppositional on my part, but putting my place in part of leadership in previous big cases, they could have been key to identifying suspects or leads. so, again, supposition, there may have been a reluctance to release that to the public until those leads could be tracked

down. now leadership going through the process of using everything it can to collaborate with the public in order to identify suspects. >> and one of the things we heard our pete williams talk about earlier is we don't know if they know the names. they have these images. so presumably part of the thinking here is to get the public involved. to see, somebody must know who these people are. >> well, that's been it, a signal from the very beginning. again, it's a collaborative process. in a case like this where there's so many witnesses, so many individuals watching whether it was on tv, taking photographs, video. that really the partner in helping put this case together. >> take us inside the process. as we talked about, there are volumes of images and video and, you know, numerous witnesses. some of whom were suffering from trauma, themselves. take us inside the investigation. how do you -- how do they go about sort of making decisions about what to pursue, which pieces, you know, sort of how do they make those decisions? >> well, as i referred to

before, the joint terrorism task force has a lead, or another big law enforcement body, that's part of the key of going forward in the most efficient way right from the beginning. where you have leads assigned, interviews assigned. that's probably the biggest most voluminous part of any investigation. now we're in the information age. so where you have much more information, it becomes exponentially more of a challenge to shift through that information. still from an investigator's standpoint, more is better. >> we're going to bring you that press conference when it happens live. i want to thank you, robert mcfadden, for joining me. >> my pleasure. >> and we'll be right back. this is for real this time. step seven point two one two. verify and lock. command is locked. five seconds. three, two, one. standing by for capture. the most innovative software on the planet... dragon is captured. is connecting today's leading companies to places beyond it.

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get happy. get geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more. [ sneezing ] she may be muddling through allergies. try zyrtec®. powerful allergy relief for adults and kids six years and older. zyrtec®. love the air. thanks for watching. chris matthews will bring you the fbi's press conference from boston right now. manhunt. let's play "hardball."